Life after Death: The Hunt begins
by Dr. Science
Summary: A bounty. That's all that took for Neo and Roman to meet their ends. And it was all thanks to Team RWBY and a bounty being put onto the partners in crime by a mafia hit-man. But like the saying goes, you can't keep a good girl down, well, she isn't all that good. But now, she's back from the dead, and wants vengeance. It's like the saying goes, "Pay to all what is owed to them".
1. Dislcaimer before the story

This is a disclaimer everyone. This fic is going to contain character death(albeit temporary), blood, violence, language, and a bit of cannibalism. Now then, you may wonder about the cannibalism. The reason I put that there is because this story has concepts from the Tokyo Ghoul universe. Why I am not putting this under crossover is because that this only takes concepts from Tokyo ghoul, and that's only a single concept at the moment: the eyes. Buut in the next fic after this one, there is going to be lots of concepts about ghoul's from Tokyo Ghoul, which will all be explained in the fic itself, but not this one, the one after this one. Anyway! The Tokyo Ghoul manga is created and owned by Sui Ishida while the light novels are by Shin Towada. RWBY was created by Monty Oum and belongs to Rooster Teeth. And without further adieu, I hope you enjoy this fanfic!


	2. Prologue: One Hunt ends, another Begins

" _Death leaves a heartache no one can heal, love leaves a memory no one can steal._

 _From an Irish headstone" ~Richard Puz, The Carolinian_

* * *

Blood. The crimson liquid of life that ran through every living creature. But the loss of this precious source could mean death to anything, and anyone. Currently, a neapolitan haired woman was coughing up a large amount of said liquid, her breaths coming out in ragged gasps. Her lungs burned with the need for oxygen while her ribs shifted uncomfortably inside of her.

 _Welp, looks like those are broken._

Neo winced as she brought a hand to her side, it trying to soothe the bruises that had been forming where a few of her ribs had been broken. With dulled eyes, she looked around the forest floor for her attackers, especially the blondie that did this to her. With a frown, she spat out the name of those that had ambushed herself and Roman, her ragged and broken voice echoing through the forest.

"Team RWBY..."

Neo grit her teeth as she stood up straight, her eyes refocusing before switching from white and pink to a complete brown, her hand immediately drawing her sword when she heard gunfire. She ignored the pain flaring within her as she began to move towards it, knowing that it may be the huntresses. But that didn't matter to her right now, for there was only one thought within her mind right now.

 _You better be alive Roman, or I'm gonna kill you._

When she got to the area where the gunfire had come from, it was within a small clearing, the air was still and cold. The young woman cautiously looked around, her ragged breaths becoming visible puffs due to the cold temperature.

"C'mon Roman..."

She sighs as she keeps her blade out, her high heels clicking against one another as her eyes scan the environment. Everything felt detached, lifeless even.

"Roma-"

Neo's eyes widen as the sound of her foot splashing in something echoes in her ears. When her eyes connected with where her foot had landed, she could see that her high heel and the tip of her shoe was stained red.

"My my, took you long enough."

A deep chuckle resonated from the shadows of the forest as a tall man slowly came into Neo's vision. He wore a deep red suit with gloves dyed a bloody burgundy, his face being obscured by a visageless mask. His left hand was currently holding a revolver while the other was holding-

"Roman!" Neo growled out as she began to run towards the man in anger, her sword drawn as she zeroes in on her target. "Let him go you basta-"

Her words were cut off by a bullet ripping through her chest, her knees buckling under her as she fell to the ground. She coughed up even more blood as her breathing became rapid and her breaths short, her vision starting to blur while her body was kicked over and onto its side.

"B...bastard..." Neo spat on the man, her saliva being full of blood. The male sighed as he easily kicked the ice cream haired girl in her gut, causing a shriek of pain to emanate from her.

"My my Neo, do you kiss your mother with that mouth?"

"Screw you..." Neo grunted out before coughing, her lips being tinted crimson while her face was slowly getting paler. "Carnelian.."

"I could go for one, but I think you'll pass. Now then, you are probably wondering why I'm here. Well, that's plain and simple." A smile sprouted onto his face while his mask remained emotionless, his hand dropping the barely breathing body that was Roman Torchwick. "Your debts have come back to haunt you. And since you haven't paid the Carnelian family the money you owe them, a different kind of payment is in order."

"N...Neo..." Roman's words were barely a whisper, his body was still as he tried to crawl towards his partner, only to be stopped by a foot slamming down into his back, the heel digging into the bullet wound near his spine, his torso being covered in stabs wounds, half of them having gone through him completely.

"Oh nononononono. We can't have you talking Roman, you might exacerbate the bleeding from that hole in your neck...but of course..." Carnelian pulled back the hammer of the revolver and aimed towards Neo's partner. "The hole has to be made first."

* * *

A gunshot rang out through the silent forest, four young huntresses looking towards where it came from. Each one was in a different state of exhaustion, but it was obvious by the fire in their eyes that they weren't down for the count just yet.

"Do you think that's them?"

The raven haired beauty of the group asked absentmindedly, her hand drawing her blade as she hopped down from a tree branch. Her feline ears twitched a bit while her amber eyes seemed to glow within the moonlight.

"Might be. Maybe a couple of Grimm took care of the job for us?" Ice blue eyes met amber, the heiress that these two cold orbs belonged to was currently refilling her weapons dust reserves, although next to the heiress was her ever so energetic partner, Ruby Rose.

"Dunno, but we're gonna have to check it out. Let's go Weiss!" Before Ruby was able to run off towards the gunshots, her partner's hand grabbed her hoodie, causing the girl to try to, yet vainly, get away from her partner. "Weeeeiss, let me goooo!~"

"No you dunce!" She groaned a bit before a loud, sharp whistle pierced the air, Ruby and Weiss covering their ears due to how loud it was.

"I don't wanna cut this lover's spat short, buuut I think we still got two criminals to take care of."

The voice stated this rather smoothly, her long, blonde hair flowing in the breeze. She looked towards her sister and teammates, her lilac eyes looking tired while her body had its fair share of damage done to it, more so than the others. Wherever her rather revealing outfit showed skin, there were cuts and bruises scattered across her body, a gash or two even being slashed into her arms. Even though her aura was repairing some of the damage, the only thing that was really keeping her steady and conscious was her semblance.

"I agree with Yang you two. We need to get moving before our Roman and Neo get away."

Once the blonde brawler stepped into the light of the night sky, her semblance was truly shown off. Her hair was nearly as bright as the sun while her irises were a crimson red. Yang smiles as she takes off in a spring towards where the gunshot was heard, the rest of team RWBY soon following her through the silent forest.

* * *

Neo's mind could barely comprehend what had just happened, both out of shock and the fact that her heart was pumping less and less blood through her weakened body. Her pupils were simply pinpricks as she could do nothing but stare at the scene in front of her.

"W...why..." Neo coughed out as she pulled her body close to Roman's, her hand going to his throat to try and stop the bleeding. She knew in the back of her mind that it was a futile attempt, but she had to at least try and save him. "We did everythi-" She coughed a bit, the blood on her lips looking as if it were lipstick, her clothing starting to become matted down and clinging to wherever a bleeding wound was. "Everything that you told us to do!"

"Why?" Carnelian chuckled bitterly as he used his foot to once more kick the acrobat away from her current position, her body landing on its back as he then dug his foot into her chest, this causing Neo to let out a cry of pain as her hands weakly grabbed onto his foot. "Because you two have forgotten that crime is a business! You don't just get to do whatever you want. You follow a system. But you two never really learned that, now did you? That was your first mistake."

A bolt of pain ran through Neo's shoulder as a bullet tore through flesh and muscle, the acrobat letting out a pain-filled whimper. Carnelian sighs as he pops out the cylinder of his gun, his hand meticulously reloading each and every bullet. Even though she felt weak and near death, Neo couldn't help but try and think of something, anything that could save them. While these thoughts ran through her skull, her arms shakily pulled herself towards Roman, blood and grass clinging to her gloves.

"Looks like your friend won't be getting up after this." Carnelian whistled as he reloaded his revolver, a crimson pool slowly expanding underneath the hole that was now in Roman's neck. "But like most good things, this affair must come to an end." He spun the revolver's cylinder before pointing it towards Neo, her mind still reeling from the sight in front of her. "I must bid you, adieu."

Neo didn't say anything, nor could she even feel anything. Everything just felt numb. Her partner, her **friend** , was currently drowning in his own blood right in front of her. She needed to act now, she needed to get away NOW! She needed t-

Another loud gunshot rang through the forest, the bullet aimed for Neo's skull. But it never connected, for when it seemed as though it hit its mark, both Neo's and Roman's bodies seemed to shatter into thousands of pieces of glass, causing Carnelian to just stand there before chuckling.

"Like a mouse trapped on a sinking boat, you try to cling to whatever debris you can find to stay afloat, but in the end, your frantic want of life will be extinguished. But, not by me today." Carnelian smiles underneath his mask as he turns around and begins to walk back into the darkened forest, his head twisting to the left and right, his neck joints making loud pops as he was once more consumed by the shadows. "If you two are still alive, I look forward on meeting you again."

And with that, the man seemed to evaporate into the darkness, the only signs of him having ever been there were the wounds currently on the two partners in crime.

* * *

 _Run._

That's all Neo could think of doing as she carried Roman away from the hitman, the forests large trees speeding by her in an indistinguishable blur or brown and green. She could feel Roman nearly slipping off of her back each time she changed her course due to an incoming tree, their blood making it rather difficult to have a decent grip on him. Her mind was already beginning to fade in and out of consciousness, her vision getting blurrier and blurrier as time passed by. Although soon, salvation met her, for the edge of the treeline was in sight. With newfound hope, she sped up as much as her beaten and bloodied body would allow her to, the moonlight getting brighter and brighter as she got to her goal, this Hellish night nearly ov-

"THERE YOU ARE!"

A sudden hard blow connected with Neo's cheek, the acrobat and her damaged cargo being thrown to the side.

 _No!_ Neo tried to grab Roman in midair, time seeming to slow down in those few moments her hand connected with his. She didn't care that there was a loud ringing in her ears or that she couldn't even see out of her right eye, all she cared about was keeping Roman safe. _Nonononononono!_ But alas, those few seconds soon passed, and time resumed for the two.

The first thing that Neo noticed was the pain. Oh the pain that ensued as her body smashed through multiple trees, each tree causing audible cracks to echo out as her bones and body broke. Eventually a large oak is what stopped her, her body having lost its momentum by now, although that didn't mean her ordeal was over. The intensity of the head and brightness was as if the sun itself had decided to take a stroll through the trees at night, two crimson red irises staring down at Neo with a flurry of emotions, but there was one that confused the tri-colored acrobat: pity. Why though? Neo couldn't really understand, all she could think about was how much pain she was in, but that pain began to ebb away as warmth overtook it. It felt as though she was being engulfed by a warm blanket, her body slowly being engulfed by the comforting smell of lilacs as her eyes closed.

 _Maybe after a small nap...everything will be better..._

The last thing Neo ever heard before slipping into unconsciousness was her neck being snapped.

* * *

A woman whistled as she happily shoveled dirt, the warm night air being a nice change of pace from the usually cold nights that had been plaguing Mistral for the past couple of months. Her hair was a jet black and tied into two large pigtails, which in turn had two white boys holding the pigtails together. Her eyes were a deep emerald green while her entire ensemble was a mixture of black clothing and white frills. The girl had a choker filled with frills around her neck, it being kept on by a shoestring thick piece of black lace while her chest had three vertical frills going down her chest along with a pair of black elbow high gloves. Her black shorts had a white belt cinching the shorts to her hips and a pair of black boots with white laces. In her hands was currently a shovel, for she was currently on a mission.

She had told her colleagues at the local huntsman/huntress guild that she was going out to get a "souvenir" from a girl that a lot of people tend to mistake her for, granted she looked very similar to the acrobat in question, but that didn't matter, for she had just hit pay dirt,literally.'

"Finally! After hours of this god damn shoveling crap!"

Without a second thought, she threw her shovel out of the six foot hole she had dug into the cold ground, the metal spade clanging loudly against a tombstone that sat at the head of the rectangular hole, its words being simple and short.

 _Neo Politan_

 _7/12/1998-10/21/2023_

The huntresses hands began to quickly shovel away what little dirt there was until she simply dusted off her intended target; a coffin.

"Now then, I think it's time we crack you open."

She grins as she reaches up near the edge of the hole and brings down a crowbar, and with a bit of effort, she was able to get the first board of the pine coffin pulled off, moonlight spewing into the box and shining off of a pristinely white jacket, it being more similar to its pink interior due to dried, old blood having soaked into the fabric. But after a few more of the boards on the nailed shut coffin were pulled , the corpse of Neo was displayed out right in front of the woman.

"Wow, when they said that she was really fucked up, that was an overstatement."

From what the huntress could remember from the "borrowed" autopsy report, it stated that Neo's body had bullet wounds, gashes, and slashes all over her body, the right side of her face having been completely shattered and her eye nothing but a bloody pulp. But the corpse in front of her had none of that. In fact, there was barely a scratch on her! The only evidence of any trauma to the acrobats body being scars and deteriorated stitching on her abdomen.

"Eh, they must've used some kind of dust on the body. Anyway!"

The woman smiles as she begins to rifle through the corpse's pockets after having sat down inside the coffin, her hand looking for a single item; a small black journal. The intel she had gotten from a former White Fang member stated that an assassin usually had a small black book that had all their targets in it. Usually it would not only help keep track of past hits, but current ones as well.

"C'mon c'mooon." The woman huffed out before looking at Neo's face, the dead girl's eyes a dull brown and half opened, her mouth slightly agape as well and crusted with her own blood. "Welp, better you than me I guess. But hey, at least you can still help me, although you look soooo bored."

She chuckles, albeit nervously due to the fact that she was currently robbing a grave. She gulps a bit as she reaches into the inside of the acrobats jacket, her nimble fingers feeling around for anything that could be a book. And with a bit of luck, she finally found her target.

"There you are!"

With a confidant smile, she pulled the small black book out of the acrobats coat, her putting it into her own pocket before beginning to rise out of the coffin, but when she placed her hand on the side of the now splintered coffin, a rusty nail nearly went through her hand, causing her to yelp out in pain while shaking her hand frantically in the air.

"Owowowowowowow!"

She winced at how much it hurt as she shook it, the blood seeping from her palm splattering a bit across the acrobats face, a couple of drops landing inside of the corpse's mouth.

"Dammit, now I'm gonna have to get a shot for lockjaw. Ugghh...why haven't they invented pill vaccine's yet instead of shots." THe huntress grumbled as she once again began to get out of the coffin, but she was interrupted when she felt something. Movement in fact. "...The Hell?"

The woman raised her brow before looking down towards the corpse, her mind telling her that it was simply just the dirt underneath the coffin shifting. But...the body was slightly out of place. At first, it was barely noticeable, but her body had shifted upwards.

"Huh...odd..."

The woman knelt crouched over the corpse and began to examine it, but the thing that had been disquieting her in the back of her subconscious was now drawing itself up to the service; it's been six months since Neo died, yet she hadn't even bloated due to decay.

"What the He-"

The woman was suddenly pulled down and into the coffin by a gloved hand, the grip being as cold as ice and like a steel vice, the huntresses eyes looking down at the perpetrator...the corpse itself.

"W-w-w-w-wh-"

"More...more...give me more...I'm so fucking hungry..." Her voice was hoarse and barely a whisper as her pupils became pinpricks, her deep brown irises slowly turning red while her sclera became pitch black, a large, hunger-filled grin spreading across her face.

"More, more, more! GIVE ME MORE!"

"AAHHH-"

The huntresses was cut off mid-scream as Neo bit down hard into her neck, her teeth tearing away a large chunk of the poor girls jugular, blood now coating the acrobats face as she flipped their positions and chewed noisily on the meat in her mouth. Once she had swallowed that tiny morsel, her stomach only demanded that she eat even more.

 _MORE!MORE!_

With an animalistic growl, the acrobat dived back into the dying huntress, the terrified, choking screams of the woman eventually dying off, the only sound now audible in the graveyard being that of Neo's dark meal. After about twenty or so minutes, along with having pulled off the huntresses shirt before diving back into her meal, Neo's hunger was soon sated, her breathing heavy as she laid there in the grave, her mind a complete and utter blank. But the silence was soon replaced by a small chuckle that escaped Neo, her pupils having become their normal size as her eyes slowly returned to their normal coloring, the black having faded to white while her pupils had become a contented pink.

"Looks like I'm not so bored afterall...am I?" She looks towards the corpse she had just consumed, her mind already trying to piece together on why she was in a coffin and why she had just devoured that huntress like how a starving man devours food. "What...happened to me?"

Neo tried to piece together everything that she could even remember, but her mind was soon brought to a clarity when she looked towards the tombstone.

"Neo...Politan...dead at 25..." Neo slowly stood up and out of her coffin, her legs a bit wobbly as she stared up at the moonlit sky. "What...am I..."

* * *

Whistling filled the graveyard as a lone woman was shoveling dirt into a grave, the night nearly half over, but that didn't matter.

"There we go."

A smile spread across the woman's lips as she patted down the dirt into a neat pile, the coarse earth taking the place of a disturbed gravesite. She adjusted the bows holding her twin pigtails in place, her pink eyes looking at the grave that was now right in front of her.

"Might be my name, but now it's your grave from now on. Sorry...but I was just so hungry..."

She sighs a bit, albeit she felt...different. Her body felt as if she were in the prime of her life, nary a broken bone nor a scratch on her. Hell, she felt even stronger than before she had supposedly 'died'. But there was one thing that she was angry about. The acrobat looked at the grave right next to hers, it having a simple headstone and a name on it.

 _Roman Torchwick_

 _2/3/1986-10/21/2023_

"Roman..." She now stood over the grave, a caring yet sad look in her eyes as she knelt down and gently caressed the crime lord's insignia on the gravestone, her old, tattered clothes currently under her left arm. "I promise you...that I will get vengeance for what they had done to us." Neo looks to the grave before drawing a knife from her black boot, the knife cutting the palm of her hand. With a small motion, she smeared the blood onto the insignia before re-sheathing the blade. "With a blood oath, I promise our vengeance."

The acrobat stood up once more and searched through the pockets of her jacket, her nimble fingers finding a couple of cigars inside.

"Looks like I don't need these for when you run out of smokes anymore..."

Right when she was about to throw them away, a silver piece of metal shone in her eye. She closed her eye by reflex, but with the other, she was able to see what it was; Roman's lighter. While chuckling dryly, Neo pulled the lighter out of the pocket and flipped it open, her thumb spinning the flint wheel, which in turn caused a small flame to come to life, Roman's insignia seeming to glow as if the lighter were a jack-o-lantern.

"Heh...might as well use it, am I right Roman?"

Once Neo had lit one, she placed it on the headstone before beginning to walk off, another cigar in her mouth before she lit it. A puff of smoke escaped her lips after she had taken a long drag of the brown cigar, her left hand already opening up her little black book while her right hand produced small pencil, it already scribbling away inside of the notebook. Once she was at the gate of the cemetery, her eyes became an emerald green, a smile crossing her lips as she looked at the five names she had written down.

"I'm coming for you my enemies." She chuckles darkly as she closes the gate behind her once out of the cemetery. "Especially you, my blondie of a killer~"

The acrobat took another drag of her cigar before letting it stay in her hand, her exhaling a cloud of smoke before she began to whistle a little song that Roman always loved; Singin' in the Rain. As she walked, a smile forming onto her face as she looked at the names she had written down, the final one being underlined.

 _Carnelian_

 _Ruby Rose_

 _Weiss Schnee_

 _Blake Belladonna_

 _ **Yang Xiao Long**_

* * *

 _ **Hello there everyone! I hope you enjoyed the first chapter, because it took about an entire week to make it! I wanted to make sure I did it on Halloween to ensure the spookiness :3. Anyway! I plan on adding even more chapters to this, and afterwards, if you guys like it, plan on creating a sequel! So please, send me your comments so I know how the first chapter was! And yes, I know that this is very long, and hopefully not boring. Either way, hopefully I was able to give you a nice appetizer for what's to come. Till the next chapter, Like, follow, favorite, and comment!**_


	3. UPDATE!

_**New Part: Sorry that I took this down! I thought it wasn't really appropriate, but here's some news. I will say this: I am currently on Thanksgiving break, and will try and post a new chapter for this fic and also Baby Grimm! Plus, I also have a new fic that I think some of you may like. It's called Life After Death: The Hunt begins. Oh! But I will also say this: I have about a few pages written for the next chapter, and it will have Winter in it! Well, at least a cameo. And I also have at least a bit of a start and a starting idea for the next Baby Grimm! chapter. And once again, I am so so sorry that I haven't been posting. I know the new year is quickly approaching, and I will NOT let these fics fall into obscurity. I WILL POST MORE!...ahem, sorry, but I just want to make sure that my audience gets what they deserve. And that is a good story. So fear not people! I will deliver you your fanfiction!**_


	4. First Kill of the Hunt

" _Cleanliness makes it easier to see the details." ~ Aniekee Tochukwu_

* * *

 **Capital of Mistral: Central City**

 **3:25 AM**

The darkened apartment was cold, chilled even due to the air wafting in from the opened window, but that wasn't a bother at all. Neo liked the feeling of the chilled wind hitting her skin as she sat at a computer, a towel currently draped over her shoulders while she typed away on the keyboard, her eyes darting across the screen while her skin developed goosebumps. It had taken a while to figure out where the huntress she had killed lived, but with a bit of searching, she had found the place, and it was very well taken care of. While the acrobat entered the apartment,

What Neo found inside of the apartment was a small kitchen, living room, workout room, bedroom, and even a decently sized bathroom. After having used said bathroom to clean her body and clothing of any blood she had gotten on herself, the acrobat sat down at the huntresses desk and began her work. Now, some people would question what she was doing in particular, especially since she was now the "living dead". But that really didn't matter to Neo right now. What did matter to her was a little thing she had to check on.

"There we are~"

A smile spread onto Neo's face as she looked at the current status of a bank account under the name of HarleQuin. The amount of money within was the same from when Neo had last put a deposit into it.

"Now then, let's see if I can find you..."

After cracking her knuckles, the acrobats fingers deftly typed away on the keyboard, multiple pages being pulled up and then taken down on her browser as she looked for her first four targets. The first one she was able to find was Weiss Schnee, the details of the young huntress being looked through along with a few achievements she's had. The website she had pulled up even said that she was going to be elected as the Schnee Dust Company's CEO soon.

Neo's smile grew even wider as she lit up a cigar, her lips holding it in place as she takes a long drag from it.

"Hmm...her glyphs are going to be a pain in the ass if she's out of my reach. But if I can get in close enough, she won't stand a chance."

Neo smiles as her eyes go from pink to white, albeit then to brown when she coughs a bit, her rubbing her neck as she continued to cough.

 _God damn, why does my throat feel like it's on fire?!_

Neo groaned as she began to cough even more, her hands grabbing onto her throat as her coughing became more insistent and violent, her whole body shaking from it. Every time she coughed, it felt as though her body was tearing itself apart from the inside, her lungs trying to draw in air as she coughed with force, blood now flying out of her mouth and coating the screen. The blood was not a healthy red, for instead it was more like a black sludge as she continued coughing, the sludge coming out of her mouth as she coughed. Eventually, her coughing would subside as the last of the sludge was spat out of her mouth, it being tinted pink and with strands of...

"...The Hell?" Neo coughed out as she rubbed her throat, her voice no longer sounding as if it were distorted or broken. Instead, it was a pleasant, alluring sound, something that a person could be lead into a peaceful slumber by. She blinked a bit, her hands un-gloving themselves before she felt her throat. "But...I...I don't understand..." The thin, jagged line of scar tissue that ran across her throat was still there, a reminder of her debt that she wasn't able to pay when she was younger. But, it didn't seem to matter now as she took in a deep breath, her lungs filling completely.

Even though she didn't understand what had happened. a smile crept onto her face as she chuckled, her voice sounding like any regular twentyfive year old woman. Hell, even her lungs felt great! They didn't feel so...small, and constrained like they used to, which in no small amount was due to a certain "habit" she had picked up after she got the scar on her throat. But that didn't matter now. This meant that she could finally achieve her dream, she could finally become the thing she always wanted to-

A grumble escaped the assassin's stomach, causing her to clutch it instinctively before she groans herself.

"Welp...guess it's time to see what this broad had in her fridge."

Neo got up from the computer, not even bothering to clean up the mess she had made as she made her way to the kitchen, her stomach continuing to grumble while she let her mind wander. _...Why am I still here? I should be dead._ A sigh escaped her lips as she looked inside of the fridge, there being mostly take out and even a burger or two, it being evident that this woman had lived alone before her untimely demise. _And why did I feel so hungry? Why did I...why...did I...Oh...Oh god..._ Neo shivered as realization overtook her mind, her stomach's constant grumbling not helping the situation as she replayed what had happened in her mind. The blood, the way the woman's flesh tasted, that horrific look and sound she made when she breathed her very last.

She stepped away from the fridge, the door slowly closing in front of her as she pressed her back against the island in the middle of the kitchen. Her hands went over her mouth, widened eyes staring into nothing as she slid down and onto the floor.

"T-then..t...that means I was...I...I was..."

"Dead?"

Neo's eyes suddenly began to dart everywhere, them turning from brown to white as she tried to pinpoint the source of whoever had said that dreaded word.

"Oh boo fucking hoo Neo. You honestly believed that you could've _miraculously_ survived all that abuse your body went through on that little encounter you had?"

It was as if the voice was everywhere, yet nowhere. Neo began to panic, her eyes closing shut before opening again...and that's when she saw her. Her reflection from the refrigerator's surface wasn't even hers at all, it was that woman's. She was in the same prone position neo was, her arms wrapped around her knees. Although the woman was covered in her own blood, the red liquid staining her clothes and skin.

"W...who..."

"Who am I? Well, that is a good question actually. Hmmm..." She tapped a finger against her chin before smiling a wide, unsettling smile. "You already know who I am Neo. Why of course, I'm you!" She giggles a bit, her voice being much deeper than the assassin's, and much more unsettling.

"B...but you're that woman I...I.."

"Devoured? Ate? _Consumed_?" The woman shuddered in delight at her own words as she wrapped her arms around her own torso. "My, the sight of all that blood was simply marvelous Neo! The taste was like a fine wine that has never been touched by mankind. It was oh so delectable~"

"Shut up." Neo shivered as she curled up into a tight ball in front of the fridge, but the woman's voice wouldn't leave her.

"You know I'm right Neo. Heh, why don't we go out and have another taste? You know you want to.~"

"Shut up...shut up..."

"C'mon Neo...you knooow you want tooo~"

"SHUT UP!"

Neo looked up at the fridge, tears starting to form in her eyes as she got up from the ground. As if she were trying to dispel the image in front of her, she opened the refrigerator door and began to rummage through the food within. _I-I'm just tired and hungry is all! Food will help me, yeah!_ With a frantic motion, she took out a small take-out box from the fridge before opening it, not caring that it was still cold before she grabbed a fork from one of the drawers before diving into the meal. But something was wrong, **very** wrong.

Every bite was harder to take than the last one, the food tasting absolutely **horrible** , and soon enough, Neo dropped the takeout box before driving for the sink as bile rose in her throat, her coughing now as she leaned over the metal sink. Within seconds, she was already coughing up the contents of her stomach, which included the meal that she had just eaten. She spat into the sink as the taste of bile coated her tongue, her hands quickly going into the nearby cabinets before she was able to get out a glass. With a quick motion, she rinsed her mouth out before returning to the fridge, her looking at what else she could try to eat.

' _You know that you'll just cough it back up Neo.~'_

"Shut up! I won't. I-it was just expired is all."

Neo rationalized to herself as she got out some salad, knowing that it wouldn't matter if it was cold or not. Once she had quickly prepared it, she dug her fork into the foliage before popping it into her mouth, yet the same thing happened as with her previous meal. The salad tasted horrible, truly one of the worst things that Neo had ever tasted in her life. The assassin quickly went to the sink again, her spitting out the mouthful of salad she had eaten as she panted, her stomach wracked in pain from not only hunger but from also the horrible substances she had consumed. her mind was drawing a blank on how she could've even survived not only all of that punishment she had received during her last encounter with team RWBY, but also with all that time inside of that pine box of a coffin the coroner had stuffed her into.

' _Neo Neo Neo, isn't it obvious to you by now? Tsk tsk, I thought it would be.'_

The assassin was suddenly turned around harshly, the woman now pushing her against the sink, a wild expression running inside of her eyes.

"You're no longer a human Neo. All those late nights of looking up myths and legends proves that." She chuckles darkly as her pupils dilate and become pinpricks, the whites of her eyes becoming a jet black while her irises turn a blood red. "You're a fucking monster now Neo, Embrace it!" She grins as she opens her mouth, her canines being **very** sharp as she bites down onto Neo's mouth, the assassin's eyes closing as she screams.

But when she opened her eyes, Neo could see that she was on the floor again, tears running down her face as she heard her heartbeat within her ears, the rapid rhythm of the drumming causing her to slowly calm down. Although there was one thing that wasn't imaginary: the hunger that she felt.

"N-n-no..." Neo clenched her fists so tightly that blood began to run down her fingers and onto the linoleum floor, her shivering a bit as she looks around aimlessly. "I...I don't think I could do it again..."

"...but I can."

Neo gasped a bit, her hands unclenching and covering her mouth when she heard the words escape her lips even though the voice was that of that woman's. hesitantly, she took her hands away, both of them trembling when she felt her lips part again.

"We both know that you're hungry, and from that mess you made in the sink and on that computer, it's obvious you aren't human anymore. But guess what? We aren't going to be starving, do ya wanna know why?" A smile curled onto Neo's lips as she hears the woman's voice, no, her voice, produce a chuckle. "There's food out there! Walking down the streets, drinking their sorrow away in bars. Hell, the best of it must be in the high rises drinking expensive champagne~ All you have to do is find one of them and show them a night that they'll never forget~"

"H...heh...y...you're right...I...I'm hungry...so Goddamn hungry. B-but you can fix that...because Neo isn't ready to be a monster yet..."

The assassin holds her head in her hands as she curls up into a ball, but she begins to giggle, at first it was soft, but then it was getting louder and louder, the sanity within it draining with each passing second. As she got up from her prone position, her tri-color hair was already changing, becoming a jet black while she uncovered her face. A smile was on her lips as her eyes opened, her once pristinely white irises now an emerald green, her smile turning into a smirk as she exits the kitchen.

"Now then, I believe it's about time I have some fast food~"

She whistles a bit while she moves her way to the bedroom, her bare feet moving silently across the floor. She let the door close after her once she had set it on its path, for she had a little date with one of the tasty morsels walking outside, and she didn't want to disappoint. She smiles as she picks one of the many copies of the black and white outfits within the drawers, her eyes turning black and her irises red at the thought of such a delectable meal.

* * *

The night was dark, but the city was more than lively in the chilled, Spring air. Especially since tomorrow was a very important date for a silver haired woman walking down the street. She had her tickets, supplies, and even her uniforms ready! One might ask why she had so many things that needed to be prepared, but the answer was simple; she was going to be the head maid of the Schnee manor in Mantle. Yes, the future CEO of the SDC only lived there a couple of months out of the year, but that just meant it'd make her job slightly easier since she'd have free reign over the large building. With an excited smile and her traveling bag in hand, she entered one of the many guildhalls that populated Central City, which was rather good for her since there was a bulletin board near the entrance.

Used by both guild members and outsiders alike, this was how information spread through guildhalls. Yes, it was a bit archaic within this modern day and age, but that didn't mean it wasn't effective.

"Hmmm...looks like I'll be able to get some sleep on the flight there. Which means if I hurry to the terminal's for the morning flight, I should arrive there by mid to late afternoon."

"Hey...um...miss?"

A voice drew the woman away from the board, her head turning to her left. A woman at around 25, maybe younger, was standing nearby at the other end of the bulletin board, her hands behind her back while her emerald eyes were cast towards the ground, her alluring voice seeming a bit hesitant.

"A-are you going to be going to Mantle?"

"Why yes I am. Why?" A small smile appeared on the silver haired woman's face as she looked into those two emerald orbs, them seeming to shine within the dull lighting.

"W-well I was wondering if you'd be able to walk with me to the airport. I-I'm a bit scared of the dark is all." She chuckles a bit as she brings her hands out in front of her body, the two gloved hands now wringing themselves as she looks into her eyes. "I know it sounds a tad silly, but I tend to be a bit paranoid during the night time." She gives the silver-haired woman a big, gentle smile. "So, what do ya say miss?"

The silver haired woman blinked a bit before adopting a thoughtful stance, a finger tapping her chin as she hums in consideration of the offer. _Actually...I think it would be rather nice to talk to someone while walking to the airport._ With her mind made up, she gave the emerald eyed woman a nod accompanied by a thumbs up. This in turn caused the woman in front of the future maid to smile brightly, her quickly walking over to the front door and opening it.

"Shall we then miss?"

"Why certainly."

With an elated smile, the woman walked out of the guild with her new companion, there not being that many people out on the streets at this time of night, which was a good thing since you never knew what kind of people were out there.

"So, what's your name miss?" She looks to her emerald eyed companion with a bit of curiosity, a playful smile on her face as they pass by a couple of closed shops, the dim floodlights within a passing-by art gallery showing the faded yet well preserved art hanging on the walls.

"O-oh? Me?" The woman blinks a bit before shaking her head, as if she were trying to remember something important. "Well, my name is Persephone Styx." Persephone gave the woman a small smile as they continued to walk, a light signaling for them to stop and to allow the not so busy road to continue its flow of cars bustling through the streets.

"That's a rather nice name. My name is Sylver." She smiles back to the woman while they walk, her humming a bit as the light inevitably returns to red, which in turn gives them the go-ahead to walk across the street.

"Sooo...do you know how far we are from the airport Sylver?" She looks to the girl curiously while she places her hands behind her head, her elbows absentmindedly clacking together as she watched the alleyways, the blackness within them seeming to be an endless void.

"Hmm...well, I'd say that we're about ten or so minutes. Which means if we hurry, we could actually be able to get there before the first flights even begin."

"Sounds great! Hmmm...so, why do you plan on going to Mantle?"

"Well, I was actually contacted by the Schnee residence because of an application I had submitted." A small smile formed on her face as she did a graceful, elegant bow. "You're looking at the soon to be head maid of Schnee manor."

"Cooool!" A happy smile was on the girl's face, although after a few seconds, it disappeared, and was instead replaced by a frown. "...oh crap." Persephone's eyes dilated a bit before she diverted her attention to each of the storefronts, her slowly starting to panic. "I forgot my suitcase!"

"Uh oh." Sylver gave the girl an apologetic frown as she stops walking. "We should start walking back to the guild hall then."

"No!" The girl winced a bit from how loud her voice was before she sighed. "W-what I mean is that it was...well, empty. I was planning on buying clothing in Mantle, so I had an empty suitcase ready."

"Ohhh, I see. Hmmm...well, I think there should be at least one pawn shop open at this time of night..." She tapped her finger against her chin, her eyes scanning the store fronts while a low hum emanated from her throat before she smiles. "Found one!"

She pointed happily to the dull, salmon colored light coming from one of the store fronts across the street, which in turn caused a sigh of relief to escape from persephone's lips as she hurried into the store quickly. Sylver watched as the girl chatted with the store keeper for a bit before buying a rather large suitcase from him, and soon enough, she was right by Sylver's side again.

"Ready to go Persephone?"

"Mhm!"

She smiles gently before beginning to walk with her again, the two remaining in silence for a while, the only sound between them being that of far off cars humming down the streets of Central City. This continued on for couple of minutes, but a loose stone caused Persephone to trip, one of her hip pouches opening and causing its contents to spill out onto the ground. Said contents was nothing but coins, them rolling everywhere, most of them staying in between the two while a few stragglers rolled off into the darkness of an alley. With a frustrated sigh, Persephone began to pick up the coins one by one, her hand putting a handful back into her pouch before she continued with her task.

"Hey Sylver, could you please get the ones that rolled off? I know that they didn't get too far."

With a small nod, Sylver put her bags gently down before clumping all of the coins in front of Persephone into a small pile to make it easier for the frustrated woman. She then stood back up before retreating into the dark alley, her hands going to the smooth, stone surface of the alley as she felt for any coins that could've potentially stopped rolling near the entrance. As she continued to crawl on her hands and knees, she thought she heard a gentle tap, tap, tapping coming from behind her, but that was most likely Persephone walking towards her. Although...why? Why would she be following her into the alleyway when she could just be waiting at the entrance.

When the tapping stopped, the sounds made it obvious to discern that a person was right behind her, the two now deep within the alley. Sylver smiles a bit before picking up a couple of found coins, her getting up off of her knees and turning around.

"I found so-"

The sound of metal sliding through flesh and bone permeated the dark alley, Sylver's eyes wide open as she felt the blade of a knife inside of her. it had gone directly under her ribcage, a crimson stain slowly growing bigger and bigger on her dress as she stumbled backwards from Persephone.

"W...why...?"

She could feel her heartbeat grow faster as her hands clenched the knife's handle, her breathing getting faster and heavier due to the adrenaline now slowly pumping through her body. All she got from Persephone was a dark, alluring chuckle as her emerald eyes became blood red while her sclera turned as black as the alley. She began to chuckle even more, her hands clapping together and interlocking, which in turn caused her gloves to have an insignia of a brown Oroboros to glow. Slowly, the pair of gloves were engulfed in dust, the earth-based dust causing claws to form on her fingertips while covering the rest of her hands in a plate like armor.

"Why?~ Well, it's one simple reason really. A little, simple, thing that everything feels.~"

She smiles widely as she gripes the sides of Sylver's head, a wild, hungry thirst appearing within her eyes.

"I'm hungry."

A loud snap echoed through the alleyway, followed along by the sound of slicing and the tearing of flesh. Chewing could now be heard as Persephone dined on her latest meal, the girl having died with a look of horror on her face. But that didn't matter right now, all that mattered was that the hunger was slowly fading away as she filled her stomach. Even though she didn't want to admit it, but this flesh, this **taste** , it was absolutely divine. Nay, it was more than divine, it was completely indescribable on how delicious this human was.

"Mmmm...you taste rather nice~"

She gazed down at the woman, part of her shoulder having been devoured while a pool of blood began to form underneath her. With a sigh, Persephone deactivated her gloves while her legs began to carry her back out of the alley.

"But sadly, I'm on a tight schedule. Oh! But I must thank you for that information, it was rather useful~" She whistles a little while she walks over to the two bags and picks them up, her bringing them back into the alleyway. "Hmm...I think I have an idea..." A smile spread across her lips, the only sound within the alleyway being a constant drip,drip, dripping that was soon accompanied by a gentle tap, tap, tapping of heels against stone before the tearing of flesh commenced once more.

* * *

The terminal at the airport was as silent as a mouse, the overhead lights giving off a gentle hum while the clerk was slowly beginning to nod off. he had taken the graveyard shift because nothing ever happens then, but now he was beginning to regret it. As his eyes closed and his mind was taking him off to a fantastical land built by his mind, the desk bell rang suddenly. His eyes shot open, him nearly tripping over his own feet before he straightened himself up. In front of him was a woman clad in a white, pink, and brown outfit, a parasol in one hand while the other was clamped around a cart.

'Uhh...can I help you?"

"Why of course sir. I believe that I have a flight to catch."

A smirk appeared on the woman's face while her emerald eyes stayed on the man before her, a gloved hand producing a wallet from her back pocket. Once it was opened, he could see that she not only had a ticket for first class, but that she also had a Huntress license, the air around this woman permeated with a bit of a rusty smell.

"Alright Miss..." He yawned a bit before his eyes adjusted, the name going from a blurry blob to actual writing. "Persephone Styx. Your flight will be arriving in Fifteen minutes."

"Thank you. Oh, and I'll be loading my own bags onto the plane. I've got these babies filled with dust, and trust me, you don't wanna see what happens when they're mishandled."

The clerk nodded quickly as he watched the huntress put her wallet away and leave to the baggage terminal. Within the cart were two heavy looking suitcases along with a bowling ball bag. _Huh...weird._ Not that many people would go bowling nowadays, but hey, to each their own. Although one thing he did find odd was how her clothing looked so worn down. As if it had been through Hell and back while her black hair was as pristine as ever in its pigtails.

"...I need coffee..."

Sighed out the clerk as he saw the plane out in the distance, a tiny, speck of light blinking within the night sky. Although he sighed in relief when he saw his replacement walking towards him, which meant he could finally leave and go home. he began to whistle as he stepped out from behind the counter, him high fiving the next clerk as he walked by, but there was one thing that was bothering him for some reason.

 _Why did she smell of rust?_

* * *

 _ **Hello everyone! I hope you enjoyed this chapter, because it took me a bit of a while to actually do it! I hope the quality hasn't dropped, although I do apologize for that last line. Anyway, Hope you enjoy, for there's more to come after this!**_


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